


You Play the Victim Perfectly

by aurorstorm



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-10-04
Updated: 2012-10-22
Packaged: 2017-11-15 15:21:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/528697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aurorstorm/pseuds/aurorstorm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Dear, dear.” Regina places a hand on her chest and sighs. “It’s as if you aren’t even happy about it. You undo my years of hard work with a simple kiss, and can’t even appreciate the consequences?”</p>
<p>[2x01 Broken AU: Regina remains a prisoner in the Sheriff's Station, and instead of leaving her unprotected, Emma takes up guard duty.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was inspired by two things:
> 
> 1.  
> 
> 
> [gif credit: swanqueen-morrilla on tumblr)
> 
> 2.  
> 'Well, let me know if real power wants a magazine or something.'  
> \- Nick Fury, _The Avengers_  
> 

SNOW

Snow White watches calmly as her husband glares at Regina through the prison bars. She doesn’t have the heart to tell him that the Evil Queen can’t be intimidated – not that way, at least. Regina’s told them everything that she’s going to, and there are more pressing matters at hand.

"Well, we can't stand around here all day," Snow says firmly, standing with her hands resting on a curiously silent Henry's shoulders. "We have to go and find Gold before he unleashes anything else on the town."

Charming looks at her incredulously. "We can't just leave the Evil Queen,  _unguarded_ , in a small town Sheriff's office!" he shouts. "She'll try to escape the second we leave the building."

"But -- we must --" Snow glances between her husband and Regina, who is standing with her arms crossed and steadfastly ignoring them all. As much as she'd like to leave right now, bringing all of the family with her, Snow realises that Charming is right - appearances are deceiving, and Regina could be planning to bust out of the place any second. "Alright," she concedes. "If you insist, then-- then I suppose Emma will have to stay."

"What?!" Emma and Charming exclaim simultaneously, then share an outraged glance. They look so remarkably alike, and the thought both warms Snow's heart and breaks it.

"If I don't get to go and punch that old creep's face in," Emma growls, oblivious to Snow’s pain, "I'm going to end up breaking something else. Something more valuable, too."

"That is... one reason, I suppose," Charming says with a half-smile towards his daughter. "But Snow," he adds, "I don't want to leave her alone with this-- this _witch_! Shouldn’t I stay instead?”

"No, you shouldn’t, if you’ll let me explain. Emma will be fine. Regina's not going to hurt her," Snow insists. "I'm sure of that." And honestly, she really is. Snow knows Regina a lot better than she'd like to admit, and she had noticed straight away a change in the way Regina looks at Emma now. There's a new kind of respect and acceptance in her dark eyes, and it's been there ever since Emma started fighting to keep Regina alive. There's not a chance Regina would throw away her only chance at having an ally and eventually getting Henry back.

"Can't believe I'm missing out on the fun," Emma grumbles. "Fine, whatever. I'll stay. But give him a hard time for me, okay? Find out what the hell is going on. Oh, and leave Henry with Ruby--" she shakes her head and sighs, "--Red. Whatever. Because I don't want him anywhere near Gold."

Henry remains silent -- he must be totally overwhelmed by the day's events, Snow reasons -- and she gives his shoulders an affection squeeze. "Of course," Snow assures her, but she's talking to Regina as well, who is definitely listening now that they're discussing Henry. "We'll make sure he is safe."

"While you're on guard duty, Snow and I should probably go meet with some of the citizens," Charming says, and Snow nods in agreement. "We'll be back in," -- Charming glances at the clock on the wall -- "Four hours, at most. Be careful, Emma," he adds as a warning. "Remember what you're dealing with."

"Yeah, same goes for you," Emma replies dryly, and waves to her family as they leave the room.

Snow ducks her head back in, though, moments after they disappear. "If we don't come back for you, come and find us. I don't care what your father says about keeping her guarded."

Emma’s face crumples slightly at the use of the word ‘father’, and Snow feels the funny pain in her chest again. "Will do," Emma promises, but refuses to meet her eye.

Snow sighs, and with a last wary glance at their prisoner, walks away.

 

 

 

EMMA

"Well, you were pretty damn quiet then, for once,” Emma says into the silence as she digs through a drawer in her desk. _Come on,_ Emma thinks, _there has got to be at least one candy bar in here._

Regina sniffs disdainfully. "I didn’t feel the need to interrupt your _charming_ family bickering. Tell me, Emma,” she asks with a cruel smile, “How does it feel to be reunited after all these years?”

Emma whirls around to face her, seething. “Shut up.”

“Dear, dear.” Regina places a hand on her chest and sighs. “It’s as if you aren’t even happy about it. You undo my years of hard work with a simple kiss, and can’t even appreciate the consequences?”

“Goddamnit, shut _up_.” Emma strides forward and slams her hands against the prison bars, all thoughts of finding a snack forgotten. “What the fuck is your problem?”

“I’m looking at one of them,” Regina hisses. “A very persistent one. It’s been bothering me for some time now.”

Emma rolls her eyes and scowls, dropping her hands from the bars. “Okay. Fine. You want to do this now?” She turns around and drags an office chair back to where she had been standing, then slumps down into it without grace. “You and me, we’re going to talk.”

“Oh, are we?” Regina smiles again, and Emma clenches her fists so hard that her knuckles turn white. She knows Regina is messing with her, but she doesn’t have the patience for her crap right now.

“Yeah,” Emma replies, “We are. In case you didn’t notice, this has been the weirdest fucking day of my life and you’re to answer for a good deal of it. So excuse me for having a few _questions_ ,” she spits.

Regina laughs bitterly. “I can see it didn’t take long for the royal arrogance to set in, Princess. Do you honestly think I’m going to sit here and have a heart to heart with you; spill my greatest secrets; listen to your petty concerns? If you’re so upset about what this all _means_ , then perhaps you should be talking to your Mommy and Daddy. I’m sure they’ll be quite happy to answer all your little _questions_.”

“You know, being a cow to the only person in town standing up for your life probably isn’t the smartest move.”

“This coming from the poster girl for wise decisions,” Regina drawls. “I don’t need you, Emma. I know your little hero act makes you feel so noble – don’t worry, it runs in your family. But while magic may be different here in Storybrooke, I can feel it growing within me by the second.” She leans in even closer, eyes glowing strangely and chest heaving with every breath she draws. Emma’s a little freaked out, honestly. “You Charmings might think your shiny swords, big words and _honour_ are enough to win you any battle,” Regina threatens. “But I’ll warn you now, Emma. Don’t underestimate me. Magic is the only real power.”

Emma stares her down for a few moments, before taking a deep breath, shrugging and getting up to drag her chair away again. Some battles just aren’t worth fighting. “Well,” she says with a smirk, “let me know if Real Power wants a magazine or something.”


	2. Chapter 2

REGINA

Emma doesn’t speak again, mercifully. She sits herself down behind the desk and lets her head fall into her hands. Almost an hour passes with no movement and Regina finds herself wondering what Emma is thinking about, before she remembers that she doesn’t (and absolutely shouldn’t) care.

Glaring at Emma through the prison bars becomes tedious after some time. Instead, Regina settles herself down on the crappy bed, cringing as it creaks under her weight. She arranges herself into a cross-legged position, closes her eyes, and begins counting each breath she takes.

_Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out._

Regina feels herself slipping into a blissful state; free from noise, prison cells and Emma Swan. She ceases to notice the passing of time, and instead concentrates on the calmness seeping through her body and the slight buzzing of magic rippling over the surface of her skin.

Until she is rudely interrupted, of course. “What are you doing?”

Regina suppresses a groan and ignores Emma. _Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in –_

“I asked you a question.”

Regina lets the air rush out of her in a sigh. “What does it look like?” she says through gritted teeth, keeping her eyes screwed closed.

“It looks pretty funny. You trying to cast a spell on me or something?”

 _Breathe in, breathe out._ “I am _trying_ to relax, Miss Swan.”

“Oh. Whatever.”

Regina tries to fall back into her not-quite-unconscious state, but she’s too agitated now, and distracted by the amount of noise Emma has started making over on the other side of the room. With a muttered curse, she untangles her limbs and strides over to the prison bars again.

Emma turns around from the coffee maker she had been fumbling with and unnecessarily explains, “Coffee.”

Regina rolls her eyes. “I can see that. I could hear it too, actually,” she replies and folds her arms in front of her chest.

Emma shrugs. “It’s noisy. Not my problem.” She turns back to the machine but pauses with her hand on the grinder. “Hey, uh. Do you want one?”

Regina raises both eyebrows in surprise, her mouth falling open slightly. She believes, for a moment, that Emma is kidding – taunting her with the luxury of a warm drink so that she can sit and shiver in her rapidly cooling cell while Emma drinks her coffee. But Emma turns around again and says, “I’m gonna take that silence as a yes.”

Regina collects herself enough to hastily nod. After a few more curse words and punches at the machine, Emma brings her over a steaming hot coffee and passes it through the bars. Regina looks at it with her lips pursed, and glares at the mug Emma is holding for herself.

“A paper cup,” she mutters as the heat radiating from the drink seems to burn through the thin material on to her sensitive palms. “Really?”

Emma raises an eyebrow. “I don’t think I’m supposed to give you dangerous objects, Regina.”

“A mug is not a weapon.”

“I get the feeling that you could turn _anything_ in to a weapon,” Emma counters.

Regina has to laugh at that. “Well, you’re probably right.” She notices Emma’s lips curl up slightly into a reluctant smile, and wonders why it is that their interactions keeping swinging from one extreme to the next.

After it has cooled to a less harmful temperature, Regina takes a tentative sip from her cup and swirls it around her mouth. Hm. Almost black, with the smallest hint of milk and a teaspoon of sugar. Just the way Regina likes it. She looks over at Emma’s mug and sees a much whiter liquid, then looks back at the coffee maker and notes at least three torn sachets of sugar.

“How did you know how I take my coffee?” Regina asks, genuinely curious.

“I didn’t. Lucky guess.” Emma winks and returns to her desk, leaving Regina with nothing to do but perch herself on the bed once more and drink in silence.

 

 

 

EMMA

It’s almost excruciating, watching the seconds creep by as the hand on the clock hits the quarter-to-seven mark -- fifteen minutes before Emma can bail and go to seek out Snow and Charming. All she’s had to eat in, god, however long it’s been, is half a stale chocolate bar she found abandoned on top of a filing cabinet. Her stomach has been growling loudly in roughly ten minute intervals, each time prompting an amused glance from Regina -- who seems far too calm and collected, actually, and it’s really pissing Emma off.

Finally, when the clock reads ten minutes to go, Snow practically runs into the room.

“Oh thank god you’re here,” Emma gushes, “I’m going insane. And I’m starving.”

Snow gives her an apologetic smile. “We had so much to do.”

“Was Gold any help at all?” Emma asks doubtfully as Charming strides in to the room.

“Of course not,” he answers. “I don’t think he’s ever given a straight answer in his life, the slippery bastard. So we’re all just as confused as we were to begin with, if not more. Everyone in town is panicking now that the excitement has worn off. It’s chaos.” He grimaces. “I think they need you, Emma. You can help cheer everyone up and restore a bit of order, can’t you?”

Emma smiles weakly. “Well, I am the Sheriff still, right?”

“Right,” Snow affirms, and then gestures towards the cell. “But can we really leave _her_ alone?”

Emma mulls this over, turning to stare Regina down while she receives an equally intense glare. She wonders if Regina really would attempt to escape from their clutches. Apart from her strange outburst at the beginning, she had remained quiet and calm for the majority of the hours spent here. Regina doesn’t seem to have the energy or enthusiasm to do anything – especially since she hasn’t eaten anything for as long as Emma, which seems pretty damn debilitating to Emma at the moment.

“Look, she hasn’t tried anything,” Emma explains to both of her parents, breaking her stare-off with Regina and noticing their matching doubtful looks. “I even gave her a coffee and I suppose she didn’t, uh, throw it at me?”

Snow laughs warmly. “Oh, Emma. You just want to get out of here, don’t you?”

“No shit, Sherlock,” Emma mutters, earning a chuckle from her father.

“Alright,” Snow concedes. “We’ll leave then, and you can come.”

“I suppose Regina will just have to remember that any attempt she makes to get out of here will be severely punished,” Charming threatens, and Regina sneers at him from the back of her cell.

“I’m sure she will,” Snow reassures him, and tugs on his shoulder. “Come on.”

Emma follows her parents – God, her _parents!_ She really needs that bottle of wine, like, _now_ – but hesitates in the doorway, feeling a slight prickling sensation on the back of her neck. She turns back to look at Regina and confirms that the woman’s eyes have indeed been following her.

Emma coughs and, looking for something to say, mumbles, “I’m sure someone will, uh, give you food at some point.”

“Oh, I’m not willing to bet on it,” Regina replies, narrowing her eyes.

“I’ll make sure it happens, then,” Emma retorts, and then realises that _oh my god, are we seriously challenging each other over food right now?_ She blushes slightly, and feels marginally better when Regina bites her bottom lip and has the decency to look a little embarrassed too.

“So. See you later, I guess,” Emma says lamely, and raises her hand in a small wave, fully expecting an eye-roll, a deriding laugh or perhaps nothing at all.

Except Regina waves back; a small and typically regal gesture, of course, but it happens.

Emma suppresses a grin as she hurries back down the hall to catch up with Snow and Charming, buzzing with what feels like a glorious victory and ignoring their confused looks. She successfully spent four hours with Regina, and now she gets to eat, talk to friends, see Henry and drink away all her troubled thoughts. Today is _finally_ going her way.

Which is why she quite literally _roars_ with frustration, barely outside the building, when a startling bang and a flash of light comes from the room they have just left behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, thanks for the awesome response, guys! This is fun to write, so hopefully there won't be too long between updates. Your feedback, comments and kudos are very much appreciated :) x
> 
> Also, disclaimer: I know absolutely nothing about drinking coffee. At all. So please let me know if my description of Regina's drink makes zero sense at all and I'll change it :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to yell at me for how long this took. I don't know what happened. Real life happened, I guess. But now, for a brief amount of time, I've been able to get back to the important things. Like sassy Regina, and Prince Charming's tender emotions. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy, and please shout at me to update quickly :)

REGINA

Regina picks herself up from the ground, coughing violently as the billowing, purplish smoke fills her lungs. She stumbles forward until her hands grasp the bars of her cell – bars that, damn it, _should_ be scattered into debris across the station’s floor. She kicks the bars in frustration before scurrying backwards into the now-clearing haze, hearing the thundering of footsteps down the hall and into the room.

“Oh my gosh!”

“What the hell is this?”

“She tried to escape!” Charming lunges against the (regretfully intact) prison bars and snarls at her through the smoke. “You vile, ungrateful piece of—”

“If it’s any comfort to you all,” Regina finally croaks out, just to shut them all up, “it clearly didn’t work.”

“God, really?” Emma replies, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “I thought you were just hanging around for a chat.”

Regina sneers back at her. “Oh, how I would have missed your sense of humour.”

“Be quiet, both of you,” Snow cuts in, giving Emma an exasperated look. “You’re bickering like children.”

“And this is not the time for that,” Charming says sternly. “She nearly escaped us. Sure, it might not have worked this time, but clearly there is the potential for serious damage. She could have blown up the whole goddamn station.”

“Now there’s an idea,” Regina murmurs thoughtfully, taking genuine pleasure from the way Charming turns beetroot red and practically growls at her.

“Shut up! All of you!” Snow cries. “I can’t believe you people. Can we  _please_  try to deal with this like adults?”

Emma crosses her arms over her chest defensively and pouts. “Fine. We’ve got a—a  _witch_ , I guess, hell-bent on blasting her way out of a prison cell and we’re practically powerless to stop her. What do  _you_  think we should do?”

Snow appears to think for a moment, before glancing curiously at Regina. She doesn’t look away, even when Regina throws her the most venomous gaze she can muster -- the kind of gaze that Mary Margaret would have shrunk under. Regina can’t work out which version of Snow White she despises the most; the spineless, simpering fool created by the curse, or this fiery and stubborn woman who simultaneously defies her and pities her.

Finally, Snow begins to speak. “Why didn’t Regina try anything when Emma was here for four hours? She waited until only moments after Emma walked out the door. If she had believed that she was powerful enough to break free, it shouldn’t have mattered if someone else was there. But it did.”

“She wouldn’t have killed me,” Emma adds. “Not if she’s trying to get to Henry. But to get out of the building, she would have had to do  _something_  to me.”

“Which Henry wouldn’t like at all,” Charming supplies. “So maybe that’s the key. A human guard. She can’t hurt them, or Henry won’t ever give her a chance.”

“What if she tries to, I don’t know, teleport or something?”

“If she had the power to do that, she would have,” Snow replies. “And if that situation were to present itself, there would be a very brief window in which the guard could... intervene.”

Emma glares at her. “And by that you mean ‘attack’.”

“Only if necessary, Emma!” Snow says, exasperated, and pinches the bridge of her nose.

“Look, Emma,” Charming tries. “It is in all of our best interests if the guard is armed and prepared to do whatever it takes to keep her in here.”

Emma sighs. “Well then. Let’s hope it isn’t necessary.” She turns her gaze to Regina, as if challenging her to turn to wisp of purple smoke right then and there. So Regina simply stares back at her blankly.

They’re correct, actually. She wouldn’t hurt someone if it meant losing Henry. That rules out the kind of escape she had just attempted, and unfortunately, she knows she can’t ‘teleport’ either. She isn’t powerful enough; her magical abilities at the moment are more like those of the charlatan ‘magicians’ so popular in this land.

Snow is wrong about one thing, though; Regina could disappear instantly, if she had access to her full abilities. Has Snow forgotten how Regina vanished from their wedding in a cloud of smoke, taking Charming's useless sword with her? In the old lands, an attack would have been fruitless. But here, it is a genuine threat.

“I suppose we should arrange some kind of meeting,” Charming says to Snow, pulling Regina from her thoughts. “What do you say to gathering a bunch of suitable people here?”

“Of course,” Snow agrees. “Should we go and—”

“Oh, hell no,” Emma interrupts. “You two aren’t leaving me here again already.”

Charming gives his daughter a sympathetic smile, his eyes filled with sudden warmth and just a hint of sorrow. “No, that wouldn’t be fair. We’ll give Red a call, then, and she can round some people up.”

“Only if she brings me a burger and a large fries,” Emma says, and Regina has to suppress a snort as Emma’s stomach growls loudly in agreement.

 

 

 

CHARMING

Within an hour, Red has gathered a pretty impressive group of potential guards. They have crowded their way into the office, some perched casually on desks like Granny and Dr Whale, while others have dragged in chairs and stools from around the building. Charming looks fondly upon many familiar faces, anticipating a time when he can finally relax and reunite with old friends. He shares a quick smile with Ella and Thomas, who are cradling their baby, and feels a pang of resentment that leads his gaze to Emma instead.

His daughter stands sullenly in the corner, wiping grease stains away from her mouth while looking on at the crowd with mild distaste. She absentmindedly runs her fingers through Henry’s hair, who has his arms wrapped around her waist and looks close to falling asleep against her stomach. Charming’s eyes flicker to Regina, who is watching Emma and her son like a hawk as she sits stiffly on the edge of her bed. She looks... pained.

_Good_ , he thinks. _So she should_.

He clears his throat and steps to the front of the group, and silence quickly washes over the room. “We’ve come to the decision,” Charming announces to the crowd, “that while we settle in to life in this town and work through some immediate problems, it is best to keep Regina in captivity.”

“I can think of a few more satisfying solutions,” Grumpy says to some murmured assent, and Charming shoots Red a glare that says _is the man named for his shitty disposition really your idea of an suitable candidate?_  Red winces in apology.

“Grumpy, please try to be civil,” Charming replies. “And keep in mind that this is only a temporary solution. Regina _will_ face consequences for her actions.”

“Anyway, we’ve gathered you here today with the aim of putting together some sort of schedule,” Snow jumps in, much to Charming’s relief. She’s always been better at this kind of leading – calming down a crowd, soothing fear and pain, reaching a diplomatic solution. “We think that a group of competent warriors should take shifts in guarding Regina’s cell, but it’s about more than being able to wield a sword. You should have thick skin and a cool temper,” she says, looking pointedly at Grumpy. “We all know how Regina likes to manipulate people, and you should be able to resist that.”

As Snow pulls out a clipboard and begins to coordinate the sign-up process, Charming steps back from the excitement and walks over to Emma instead.

“Snow’s put your name down first for the roster,” he says, and Emma gives him a tired smile.

“Yeah, I guessed she would.”

“You going to be okay with that?” he asks.

Emma shrugs. “Don’t really have a choice. But, sure.” She glances over at Regina. “I can handle her.”

“I know you can,” Charming says with a chuckle. He hesitates before gently laying a hand on her shoulder, heart swelling when she doesn’t flinch away. “I’ll take tonight’s shift, though, while all this is getting sorted. You need to get some rest.”

Emma gives him a grateful smile, and nudges Henry with her hip. “Think I’ll go crash at Mary Margaret’s with Henry, if that’s okay...?”

“Of course.” He waves goodbye as Emma moves to guide Henry out of the room, but then she pauses and turns back to him.

“Can you, uh...” She frowns, conflicted. “Do you think you could make sure Regina gets something to eat?” she says quietly, mindful of the crowd around them.

“I can do that,” he promises. “Now go home and sleep.”

After she leaves, he spends a few moments watching Regina. The woman stares numbly down at her feet, refusing to even acknowledge the dozens of people who are present in the room. She looks dishevelled and utterly exhausted – the opposite to her usual immaculate appearance.

Finally, he tears his gaze away and strides over to Granny, whispering a few words in her ear. She looks at him strangely before shrugging and marching over to Regina’s cell.

“Your Majesty,” Granny says with a smirk, and Regina’s head snaps up to face her. “So, will it be the Caesar salad or the turkey burger tonight?” 


End file.
